A Scentsational Experience!!

Do you know Scentsy??? I mean really, have you developed a close personal relationship with Scentsy products?? Thanks to my sister I was introduced to Scentsy over a year ago and I have been in love ever since. Truthfully, I don't believe there is a person in this world who doesn't love to have the air in their home smelling fresh and inviting. Well, I am proof positive that Scentsy is the TRUTH!!! I had the recent opportunity to try the scent of the month, Mandarin Moon. (BIG Shout-out to SmellVibes!!) It is now on my growing list of favorites. The description given by Scentsy reads:

For centuries, people have been giving the gift of juicy citrus to brighten the dark winter months. Light up this season with Mandarin Moon-spirited cinnamon and glowing ginger illuminated by sweet orange and star anise.

I placed a few cubes in my warmer and sat down with a cup of tea to let the fragrance envelope my senses so I could give my truest opinion. Mandarin Moon smells like the best cup of orange tea I've ever had. I really wanted to sip the air in my home. The mood it sparks in my home is peaceful and serene-perfect for this time of year because we all know how crazy hectic the holidays can be. Now for some even greater news. You can get this months fragrance at a 10% discount!! Stock up time!!! Scent Circles are $2.70, Scentsy Bars are $4.50, and Room Spray is $7.20!!! Also the warmer of the month is Tom. It looks so vintage, like those really great soup tureens from way back. The Tom warmer is on sale this month too at $31.50!! AWESOMENESS!!! If you are interested in purchasing, please feel free to hit my Scentsy Consultant (Also my sister) up at any of the following avenues!!!
http://www.smellvibes.scentsy.us/
http://www.facebook.com/smellviibes
http://smellvibes.blogspot.com/

***Disclaimer***All opinions are 100% my own. I received free product to test and provide my honest opinion. No other form of compensation was received.

My Best Friend's Wedding #1 Movie CLIP - I Say a Little Prayer (1997) HD

Extra Gooey Caramel Apple Cupcakes | RecipeLion.com

Extra Gooey Caramel Apple Cupcakes | RecipeLion.com

Glade Expressions® Just Because ***GIVEAWAY ALERT***

Thanks to BzzAgent and Glade Expressions®, I had the recent opportunity to try Glade Expressions® Oil Diffuser & Fragrance Mist Starter Kits for FREE!!! Who doesn't love FREE???? Any-who, I must say that finding the products in my local stores proved to be a bit of a challenge. If they weren't sold out, it was slim pickings as far as the scents were concerned. I did however locate them at my local Walmart. I picked up the Oil Diffuser in the Pineapple & Mangosteen scent and I got the Fragrance Mist Starter Kit in the Cotton & Italian Mandarin scent. (They were actually the only 2 scents they had available)The Oil Diffuser is pretty darn great!! I have it on a shelf in my dining area and I can smell it as soon as I walk into the room; so sweet and tropical!! The Fragrance Mist I have decided to keep in my bathroom and boy does it do the job!!! All things considered, I think that Glade has hit another one out of the park with these new products. And now, because I am such a generous person (also because I had a $5 off coupon printed from the the web!!) I have decided to host a small giveaway so that one lucky VisionSupreme reader can try the Glade Expressions® Oil Diffuser for free for themselves!!! Enter below!! Good luck to all who enter!!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

**Disclaimer**I received coupons for free product from BzzAgent as a part of this campaign. I am a BzzAgent and all opinions stated here are honest and 100% my own. No other form of compensation was received aside from a wonderful Glade Expressions®-scented home !!! The Glade Expressions® Oil Diffuser provided in the giveaway was purchased by myself using an internet printable coupon.

MY NATURAL JOURNEY THUS FAR

Almost three years ago, I decide that it was time to reclaim my roots, literally. I decided it was time to let go of the chemical hair treatments and find out exactly what my hair "really" looked like. I will say the journey has been interesting and not without a bit of heartbreak. I was so hoping to have this amazingly ridiculous 'fro that would seemingly touch the sky by now, but, alas, no. I have a cute little 'fro that requires lots of attention and lots of maintenance. Why? Because that's just the way my hair is. Even after all of this time, I am still searching for the right combination of products and treatments that will promote a healthy coif. I have recently been toying with the idea of just chopping it all off and starting from scratch because some days I just don't wanna. (I actually just whined that in my head SMH!!!) All in all the journey has been a good one and I do hope that this post sparks some people to pass on some much needed advice as far as maintaining and growing a healthy head of natural hair. I have never been a product junkie because 1:There are so many and 2: I'm frugal!! With that said, if there are any products you would like to recommend, please feel free.

My Angel

Angel Shanice Ruth-Lin Watson(sunrise12/02/92~sunset 04/13/93)---It is as though you were but a dream. Your presence in my womb, though brief, left an indelible mark upon my soul. The grip of your tiny hand on my finger still lingers. It's been almost 20 years but I still feel your presence as much as I did on the day you were born. Was it a premonition or precognition that we named you "Angel" and then so soon after you left your earthly body? It is my belief that you were just not meant for this world. I appreciate you daughter of mine. For the brief moments that I was given privilege to know you, I am eternally grateful. Thank you, my Angel, for choosing me to be your mom. Forever in my heart and never far from my mind, rest in peace my dear, sweet Angel. I was blessed to have you for 131 days. No one could ever know the mixture of heartache and joy I experienced while spending those days visiting you in the NICU while you were getting stronger and growing bigger. It is nearly impossible to express the sheer elation I felt when they told me that you could come home on that beautiful Monday, March 1, 1993. How can I possibly put into words my feelings when I wrapped you up and placed you into your car seat for the very first time on March 3, 1993. When I became your mother, I was but a girl. When I had to let you go, I became a woman. A woman, though filled with grief, learned a lesson that day. We are never promised tomorrow, we are only blessed with the experience of the past ,the opportunities of the present, and the possibilities in the future.

In My Opinion

Today is a day of many thoughts. This certainly doesn't differ from any other day except for the fact that I felt like writing. I have gotten so far away from writing, I honestly had doubt that I would be able to do it. Poo-poo to that negative thought. If there is pen and pad, or fingers and keys, writing can and will be done!! My topic today just simply stems from a video I watched a few mornings ago via Facebook. It doesn't really relate to the video itself (it's great though!!). It is in regard to the comments that were being made about it. First of all, a bit about the video. It is a small display of an African dance class in which most of the participants are non-black. I was hard pressed to find a term to describe them because I truly do not want to come off as "politically incorrect" and refuse to simply define people by their skin tone. I have no idea where this video was shot and for all I know they could very well be African people simply doing a dance from their culture. Sadly, most people can't wrap their heads around the fact that Africa has a melting pot of all skin tones. Okay, now that being said the comments made about this video were so over the top and off topic that I felt disheartened, but at the same time inspired to comment myself. (Inspiration comes in all forms) I picked a few of the comments to display here:
***I am not sure if this violates some unknown blogosphere rule, but I did copy and paste from the website***
comment #1:asia slaved africans for centuries longer than white people,also africans slaved their own peole as well,you would have a better chance % wise for a black to be related to a slave trader than you would been white,you dont know your own history,youve just been thought to blame the white race for everything an thats what you do,its not your fault your racist youve been indoctrinated that way since you were a child,try read a book
Grammatical errors aside, this person had a lot to say in response to someone that commented negatively about a "white" girl performing an African dance. My comment is just this: How on Earth did this video inspire this conversation about slavery? I may not be the most learned person when it comes to the history of slavery, but this video did not invoke any sort of anger. Does that make me ignorant? Should I be angered to see someone who does not share my skin tone, nor cultural background doing the dances of Native Africans? All I saw when I watched this video was a young lady moving like only she knows how. The only anger I felt was that I wish my body moved like hers. If I am wrong to not feel a certain type of way about this video, then so be it. I will be happily wrong from here on out.
comment #2:Africans had a strong Army. White people didn't come to Africa and take S***. They bought the slaves that Africans had enslaved themselves.
Yet again, the slavery topic. (yawn) Don't get me wrong, I am not in any way, shape, or form dismissing slavery. It was and still is an extremely important part of my history. I simply don't feel the need to analyze it everyday. The enslavement of African people here in the United States is the reason that I am here. My ancestors were considered less than human and forced to work land that they could never own. Times have changed, but some wounds can't be healed. I felt a bit incensed by this comment simply because whoever this is needs a new history lesson. It was just sad to read.
comment #3:I know more about the steps shes doing than YOU do. Shes mixing different steps, this is not an entire traditional dance its more modernized but she did GOOD. Yall aint give 2shits bout no african dance until someone non-black does it and its "SHE KILLED IT, THAT WAS TIGHT, THAT WAS SEXY" Im just pointing out the big ass elephant in the room, that doesn't make me a racist or a hater, it's the TRUTH. I appreciate ppl embracing different cultures but blacks RARELY embrace their own culture today but its now become of interest all of a sudden, and you wanna act like you don't know why? And YES "white" people CAN dance. WHY is that such a surprise to people anyways? A lot of yall are racist in your own ways as well.
Now this comment made me wish I knew this young lady personally. This is the kind of person that just makes my blood boil. Before I really go off topic, let me explain. This is the person that generalizes and stereotypes. In her mind she could never be a racist or a "hater". She learned some things about a few different cultures and now she's an "expert". If you have virgin ears please excuse my next comment. Know-it-alls make my ass itch!!!! Again, I go back to the fact that I have no idea what nationality, background, or race describes the people in this video. With that being said, I applaud them for doing a fantastic job and hope to see more. To the young lady that commented, I feel sad for her that she doesn't know how African dance has inspired many people in this country. It is being done EVERYWHERE by EVERYONE. How did she come to the conclusion that "blacks RARELY embrace their own culture"? She knows something that I don't apparently. I witness my people embracing their culture daily. Sad. If I knew her personally I would invite her to the next African-American festival I would attend and then she could truly see how much we embrace our culture. But, would it be enough for her to open her mind???

Rant and rave concluded. I enjoyed this video and included a link. Enjoy. http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhIMep5z9YCUH0gOoL

Lemons=Lemonade

Life can be awesome, exhilarating, fantastic, devastating, debilitating, and destructive all at the same time. The key to keeping it all together is simply to focus keenly upon the positive while recognizing that the negative exists solely to keep you on the right path. I have to admit that the negativity that I have experienced in the last year or so has proven to be a worthy adversary. Without going into personal and private details I must say that it really has been hell. Things are looking up though. I had lost the desire to write and today I feel supremely inspired. This is a warning. You may be bombarded with the musings of my very cluttered, yet oddly clear mind today. Sometimes there are just things in there itching to get out and who better to share them with, but my readers!! To a happily fulfilled and prosperous to day to us all. Happy Thursday one and all!!!

Get Your Fitness On Curves Style!!!

It's that time of year when that ever-present New Year's resolution to lose weight starts to go by the wayside. My question is, why let it? Try out Curves free for a week and get that motivation back!!! Work it ladies!!

Just A Little Food For Thought

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Take it a step further and collect the seeds from the lemon, plant them, use the leftover rind as compost and grow your lemon tree. Opportunities can be abundant if you put forth the effort. Make today a GREAT one and explore your possibilities!!

Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee Keeps Me Smiling

I recently had occasion to try Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee for free courtesy of BzzAgent and their Dunkin' Donuts Philly Campaign. I had tried it in the past but never really made an effort to go out of my way to get it on a daily basis. It always seemed easier and more economical to make my coffee at home, iced or otherwise. Well, thanks to being a BzzAgent I got to try it for free and learned a lot about my local Dunkin' Donuts shop. For instance, it is a family owned and run shop which I think is pretty awesome in this day and age. It seems that this latest generation of youngsters is a bit self absorbed and the "family business" isn't much of a priority anymore. It's nice to see and support family run businesses of any kind for me. I'd like to personally thank BzzAgent for this opportunity and for adding a new stop on my morning ride to work. I am now truly an Iced-Coffee-A-Holic!! (Don't you just love it when I make up new words!!! Try a Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee today; You just might like it!!! Be sure to check them out on Facebook!!

**Disclaimer**I received coupons from BzzAgent as a part of this campaign. I am a BzzAgent and all opinions stated here are honest and 100% my own. No other form of compensation was received aside from the sheer satisfaction of a great cup of Dunkin' Donuts Iced Coffee!!!

Rally For Real Pizza

Sent from my mobile. Enjoy.
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Pizza Lovers Unite!!!Rally For Real Pizza!!!

Do you love pizza? I have had a love affair with pizza for a very long time. Is it too cliche to say that pizza completes me?? Okay, okay, so I know I went kinda crazy with that statement, but I really do love pizza in a major way. With that being said, I have NEVER been a fan of frozen pizza. It just never seems quite right. That is until I found Freschetta® frozen pizza. About a year ago I had some coupons for it and decided to give it try and guess what!!?? It has become a staple in my house. You will ALWAYS find at least one box of Freschetta® pizza in my freezer. My favorite would have to be the Brick Oven Five Cheese. One of the best parts of this pizza for me is the crust. When I get pizza at my local shops I never eat the crust. With Freschetta® I always eat the crust. It's always seasoned well and is like a little bonus at the end of a slice (or the beginning if you eat it backwards like my kids LOL).

Freschetta® has a great new campaign called the Rally For Real Pizza . I love the slogan because I think Freschetta® tastes just as good as the pizza from my favorite local shop. Freschetta® beats the others hands down!! Are you ready to get in on the fun and Rally For Real Pizza??? Visit Freschetta® on Facebook and get started!! They have some awesome prizes!! Each week they will select 100 winners will receive 5 Freschetta® Pizzas. Then on March 30th they will select 10 winners who will receive Freschetta® Pizza for an entire year! I don't know about you but I am toatally excited about this!!! I am getting my entry together as I type this!! Freschetta®frozen pizzas are the TRUTH!! I am trying to get Fresch® with Freschetta®!!!

Disclaimer***"I occasionally receive compensation in the form of products for posts. However, the opinions I share are solely my own." ***

Scentsy For Life!!!

I am such a huge fan of Scentsy!! I have only been using my Scentsy warmer for a little over 2 months now but I can tell that I am in love for sure!!! Right now I am warming a scent that was only available for the month of January during their Bring Back My Bar (BBMB) promotion called Vanilla Walnut. It is truly heavenly. The smell makes me crave dessert and not just one specific dessert, cobbler, pie, ice cream, the works. If you haven't tried Scentsy yet, what are you waiting for. Jump on the Scentsy Bandwagon so you can enjoy your own little slice of heavenly scents!! Visit SmellVibes Facebook or SmellVibes Website.

Smell Vibes Blog: 'Bring Back My Bar' Williams Family Style*

Smell Vibes Blog: 'Bring Back My Bar' Williams Family Style*: This month only, Scentsy has bought back 20 of our previously discontinued Scent Bars. I got a 'Share Package' order from one of my fellow C...

About.me

I just signed up for this new service called about.me. I am still learning all of the ins and outs of it, but from what i understand it's pretty popular and amazing. As a blogger I find the need to keep all of the links to the various sites that I am attached to (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc...)in one place and with about.me, it seems that I will be able to just that. I won't post a link to my page just yet because it is still under construction, but I will as soon as it's finished. Interested in it for yourself? Check them out!! Sign up and you can receive a free pack of about.me business cards from MOO.

**No monetary exchange took place for this review. I provided this information as a BzzAgent and all opinions 100% my own. I received an invitation to join About.me as a part of a BzzAgent Campaign.**

Check Out SmellVibes On Youtube!!!

I Have Officially QUIT Candles!! Thanks Scentsy!!

Let me begin by saying Scentsy Wickless Candles have changed my life for the better!! I had heard about Scentsy a while back but didn't really think twice about them. Ever the skeptic when it comes to new products, I was thinking that it was just one more company trying to push another useless product on me. Well, when my sister told me she was going to become a Scentsy Consultant, my interest was piqued. You see, my sister is not one to just jump on the bandwagon when it comes to new products, so I knew there had to be something about Scentsy. Back in November, I attended my very first Scentsy party and I am so glad I did. There is something to be said about being part of a live presentation that makes the product come alive. The display was amazing and the products pretty much sold themselves, although I must say my sister was on point with her selling game that night!! One of the best parts of the presentation was when she allowed the hostess to select the scent for the display warmer. The hostess, my aunt, chose the scent "Be Still". After about 10 minutes, the entire first floor of her house was filled with this deliciously calming scent. If I had to describe "Be Still", I would say that it was a clean scent that invoked images of spa destinations and ocean waves. At that moment, I was sold and so were the other attendees. Sadly, due to the holidays my budget would not allow for the purchase of warmer at that time, but I vowed that I would get one or two or seven. I did purchase a couple of other items that fit my budget just fine though. The two products were the Scentsy Fragrance Foam and Travel Tin. I chose to get both items in the Camu Camu scent, a delightfully tropical scent that smells like peaches and pineapples to me. I also won a travel tin during a party game in the Sweet Pea and Vanilla scent which to me smells a bit like baby lotion. The travel tins are fantastic!! Working in a nursing home, I come across a variety of odious smells and my travel tins aid in the rescue of my senses. When I open them and wave them around the room, the raunchy smells are replaced by heavenly scents that I am eternally grateful for!! As for the Scentsy Fragrance Foam, I have to say I am a fan and will continue to be a loyal customer!! This Scentsy Fragrance Foam is not only an antibacterial, non-alcohol based alternative to hand washing, it also moisturizes and leaves a wonderful scent. I wash my hands A LOT and typically use an alcohol based hand sanitizer when I am not near a sink. I also have eczema on my hands which just adds to the dryness. I have found that using the Scentsy Fragrance Foam allows me to use less lotion on my hands in between washes. That is amazing!!! I heart Scentsy in a BIG way!!

**UPDATE**

Color me happy!! I got a Scentsy warmer from my Mom on Christmas!!! Woohoo!! She gave me the "Malta" warmer and I absolutely love it!! I also got a a Scentsy Bar from sister in the "Pumpkin Marshmallow" scent. I love this bar in a major way. When I warm it, my ENTIRE apartment smells like I'm baking pies and cookies!! YUM!!! Both my Mom and my sister gave me a few scent samples to try: "Linger"=smells kinda rosy, thumbs up!!; "Autumn Stroll"=smells like spicy apple cider!! thumbs up!!; "Comfort & Joy"=smells clean, kinda like Vicks, not a big fan, but still a thumbs up!! Scentsy rocks my socks off!!

Now please don't ake my word for it. Check out Scentsy and learn all about it for yourself so that you too can QUIT candles!! Visit my sister's website at https://smellvibes.scentsy.us, check her out on Facebook and Twitter as well: www.facebook.com/smellviibes & @Smell_Vibes. Her blog is also up and running with an awesome giveaway, so don't delay!!! (hey that rhymed!!) (http://smellvibes.blogspot.com/2012/01/fragrance-on-go-giveaway.html) Good luck and happy smelling!!!

**Disclaimer** All products were either purchased by me or were gifts from family. No monetary exchange took place for this review. All opinions are 100% my own and not directly connected to Scentsy.

Fake...Definitively Not!!

Thoughts?? Okay..so those that don't know, I work in a nursing home as a C.N.A. The other day I overheard a few coworkers questioning and discussing my "happy". It was referred to as fake. I thought to myself how funny. Honestly, I truly don't care how they view me. I simply find it funny that I was a topic of conversation for them. If you know me, then you know I am the same person all day long. I have never felt the need to adjust my personality, nor my thought processes for the next man. Lately, I have come to the realization that there are a plethora of unhappy people in this world; unhappy with themselves, their surroundings, job choices, etc... It is my sincere hope for these people that they learn to view the world as I do. I am far from the being all-knowing, but I do know that WE make our "happy". If it doesn't fulfill you in some way, why do it? I may gripe and complain about the WORK, but I chose this job. Why? Simply because I feel good when I take care of people. Those people can be my family, my friends, or my residents. It took some time to realize who I am as an individual. I am a nurturer. The traits of a nurturer can be many, but what I most readily identify with is "doing things with love". No matter the task, I always put my heart into what I am doing and most often it shows either by my actions or my smile. My "giggly" nature allows me to be happy even in the most depressing surroundings and believe me, a nursing home can be downright depressing. So to those ladies who felt the need to "hate" by expressing their opinion of me in hushed tones, rest assured that I will never be fake for you or any one else. Keep on "hating", I need 5 more to meet my quota. For my residents, don't worry, your "happy" girl will be back to brighten your days on Monday!! To all the rest, be yourselves and be blessed!!!

Express Scripts Inc No Longer In The Walgreens Business

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don't know about you, but I am on a first name basis with my local pharmacist. Not because I have to be, but because it just makes sense. My pharmacist is an integral part of my family's health care maintenance and management. I honestly don't know what I'd do if for some unforeseen circumstance I'd have to switch pharmacies and start fresh. For some folks across the country this has become an awful reality. As of December 31, 2011, Express Scripts Inc. decided that their contract with Walgreens Pharmacy would be no more. I personally do not use Walgreens Pharmacy, but I certainly feel for those that do. My own prescription plan is managed through Express Scripts Inc. which means to me, if I were a Walgreens customer I would be faced with the nightmare of finding a new pharmacy to deal with my families medications. Saying that I would not be a happy camper would be the understatement of the year.

After reading the reasons for which the agreement between Walgreens and Express Scripts were terminated, I have come to the conclusion that Express Scripts Inc. was simply being unreasonable. It seems as though Walgreens tried everything that they could to keep the contract as beneficial as possible for both Express Scripts and the customers. Unfortunately their attempts at forging a solid agreement were shot down. Now those customers affected by this decision must shop around for different pharmacies or be forced to use Express Scripts mail order service. In my opinion, I just don't think mail order prescriptions are a good for my family. Who would answer your questions? How would you know you have the right thing? The list of questions could go on and on. Another thing that really bugs me is that Express Scripts manages Tricare, the health insurance plan for the military. Why should our military personnel that use Walgreens have to shop around for a new pharmacy? Haven't they done enough?

In order to continue to offer their customers affected by this ordeal, Walgreens has decided to offer a substantial discount on the annual membership for their Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens. What does this mean to their customers? They can continue to use Walgreens Pharmacy while still enjoying the low cost prescriptions. This sounds to me like Walgreens is trying to keep their customers happy; a commendable effort.

To learn more about this please be sure to check out Walgreens on Facebook and Walgreens on Twitter. If this affects you, contact them. Don't let your voices go unheard.